By Fire and Snow
by Oxycoon
Summary: Naruto and Mizore met when their were children because their mothers were old friends. They grew up together and made a promise to reunite amongst the Snow Whites when they both turn seventeen. But things might not got as they're planned...
1. Prologue: Parting of Fire and Snow

This story is my response to Kyuubi16's Naruto-Rosario+Vampire crossover challenge.

Summary: Naruto and Mizore met when their were children because their mothers were old friends. They grew up knowing eachother most of their childhood and made a promise to reunite amongst the Snow Whites when they both turn seventeen when they were twelve. Though things may not turn out the way they're planned...

Disclaimer: I do not own anything written in this story. The only thing that can belong to me are original techniques or original characters. But otherwise it's all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and Akihisa Ikeda. If I unwittingly use another author's original techique, please let me know so I can place the credits where it's due.

Pairings are predetermined.

* * *

Legends:

"Normal speech"

_"Thoughts"_

**"Greater summon/greater demon/true form/empowered speech"**

_**"Greater summon/greater demon/true form/empowered thoughts"**_

**TECHNIQUE**

* * *

**Prologue: Parting of fire and snow**

Night drew across the Elemental Countries. Wrapping the lands in it's dark, chilling embrace. In Konohagakure no Sato, lights from the houses illuminated the surrounding darkness. But in the shadows of a large forest, four figures stood facing off. Two women, one boy and one girl.

"This will be the last time we see each other in a very long time, old friend", the purple-silver haired woman stated. "Family matters like this tend to take a long time, after all".

The young girl was hiding shyly behind her mother. From appearance she was a copy of her mother, but if one looked more closely, one could see small differences. Both of them were sucking on a lollipop in a childish manner. While not surprising for the little girl, the older woman often got questioned about this by the villagers.

These two were yuki-onna, snow women. They were sucking lollipops to keep their body temperature down. As snow women, they could easily overheat in the hot climate in the Land of Fire.

The duo was wearing snow white kimonos, the dress most commonly used by their kind. While many preferred to use ordinary clothes, the traditional, white kimono was regarded as the highest standard of clothing.

"Family matters? I am quite aware what these family matters mean to your race, but I also know what it involves. I would rather not have young Mizore caught up by the primitive political system of yours. She is dear to my son after all". The woman across the icy duo replied.

She had hair red as fire that seemed to glow in the darkness of the forest. Eyes glowing in the same color with slitted pupils. In her face one could see six whisker-like marks, three on each cheek. At the same time one would notice the slightly pointed ears. This was Uzumaki Kushina, also known as the Guardian of Fire, Kyuubi no Kitsune, Leader of the Kitsune clan.

The child in front of her was fighting the growing flow of tears. His blue, slitted eyes growing wetter by the seconds. He had the same whisker marks as his mother. On top of his head were two blonde fox ears, hanging sadly. Behind him were four tails, not moving an inch. The young half-demon had yet to learn to properly hide his demonic features. Although it didn't matter much in the Village Hidden in Leaves, as they all accepted the demonic pair that resided with their leader.

"I don't want to involve her either. But our race depends on this to survive. You know this, Kushina. I would like nothing more than see Mizore with little Naru-chan, but alas they're still to young". The young boy growled at the nickname.

"My name is Naruto! Remember it! Na Ru To!" the boy growled. The two women laughed at the outburst from the boy. The child had a way with that, making people laugh. Even if it was not intentional, he could bring happiness to the people around him like no other.

"Mom, what do you mean to young? Why are we leaving?".

Naruto instantly froze. He had been on many adventures with his godfather, if one could call them adventures. He did not need to hear the answer. He did not want to. His little talk with Jiraiya had left him traumatized for weeks. It didn't help him that his father's mentor had brought charts and diagrams to go with the explainations. It took weeks before he could look at his female counterparts at the academy without turning into a mumbling moron. While he was curious to why his friend had to leave, he did not want to hear the answer to her first question.

"Don't worry Mizore-chan", he burst out. Trying to interrupt the incoming answer from Mizore's somewhat perverted mother. "We will meet again! That's a promise! I keep my promises."

Kushina lightly laughed at the statement. "That you do, dear son. How about meeting again in five years? That should give you enough time to solve your family issues. And this time we'll visit their home".

"While that would probably give me enough time to sort the matter, I cannot guarantee that my daughter will be the same. Knowing the old hags meddling, they will probably try to marry her off. You know the reason, Kushina. Your son might have to struggle when that time comes".

"As if their pathetic candidates will be a match for my son? It would be amusing to see them try to keep Naruto away from someone he likes". Kushina replied.

"Mom! Me and Mizore are just friends! She's not my girlfriend!" Naruto screamed. While his words said one thing, his facial expression said another. His cheeks were red as a tomato, rivaling the blush of the Hyuuga heiress.

Mizore dropped a bit by the statement. But the blush on her friend's face made blood pump to her cheeks as well, turning them lightly red, but not enough to notice.

"But I'm right am I not? You will not allow anyone to touch her without your approval? If you allow anyone to touch her at all". Retorted a grinning Kushina.

"Mom!" yelled the child, as he stomped away. Not noticing that his hair was starting to take a more red hue.

The two women started to laugh at the young hanyou's antics. Though Kushina was thinking about the sudden change to her son's hair. Deciding to let it slide for now, she had all the time in the world to ponder the reason after all. And it could just be a half-demon thing. After all, he was the first kitsune half-demon in existence.

"Don't you worry, Mizore. He can't hide things from his mother, no matter how hard he tries. You will see him again when you're seventeen". Kushina said to the little snow girl, before she turned to her friend. "Let's send them to 'that' place. Give them a little surprise before they're supposed to meet. I was going to send Naruto there anyways, he needs to get some friends other than the humans of this village. I think things would be more interesting if Mizore-chan went there to, don't you agree?". Grinning as only a fox could, Kushina started to head back to her house. "Oh, and you'd better prepare your daughter for that. My son does have a way to charm the opposite sex. It wouldn't surprise me if the girls at 'that' place will fight fang and claw over him. I'll see you in five years, dear friend".

The yuki-onna duo left the forest. Both thinking about what the elder demoness had said. Mizore wondering what 'that' place is, Tsurara about plans for her daughter's training. From what she had already seen in the village, Naruto sure had his way with the ladies. "Mizore, I think we should step up your training in our powers. After all, one can never have enough control".

Mizore simply nodded, though she did not like the vibe her mother was emitting. She what her mother had in store for her, she could only imagine.

* * *

**AN**: Now I apologize if the characters seem out of character, it's not as easy as I thought to write them in character. So for this story I will write the characters as I feel they should behave in this story.

* * *

**Translation notes**

Konohagakure no sato – Village hidden in leaves

Yuki-onna – snow woman

Kitsune – fox demon

Kyuubi no Kitsune – Nine-tails of the fox demons, or Nine-tailed demon fox

Hanyou - half-demon

* * *

**FROTC** (Fanfiction recommendation of the chapter)

**Sit Upon the Frozen Heavens **by **James D. Fawkes**

Naruto(-Bleach crossover)

Although I'm not sure if I should say that this story is a crossover. I normally don't read many fanfictions of this category, although there are exceptions. Anyways, this is just a light crossover: meaning Naruto with a few elements from bleach. From the title you can pretty much guess which element that's taken into Naruto's universe. The story pretty much starts in the Forest of Death after Orochimaru uses a five-elements seal on Naruto, pretty standard scenario with a hidden power being unlocked by this event. But what makes this story so very good in my opinion is the way the author writes it, there's a lot of humor, romanse and awesome written scenes. It is extremly fun to read. If you get time, I highly recommend this story.


	2. Chapter 1: Parting Leaf

This story is my response to Kyuubi16's Naruto-Rosario+Vampire crossover challenge.

Summary: Naruto and Mizore met when their were children because their mothers were old grew up knowing each other most of their childhood and made a promise to reunite amongst the Snow Whites when they both turn seventeen when they were twelve. Though things may not turn out the way they're planned...

Disclaimer: I do not own anything written in this story. The only thing that can belong to me are original techniques or original characters. But otherwise it's all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and Akihisa Ikeda. If I unwittingly use another author's original technique, please let me know so I can place the credits where it's due.

Pairings are predetermined.

* * *

Legends:

"Normal speech"

_"Thoughts"_

**"Greater summon/greater demon/true form/empowered speech"**

_**"Greater summon/greater demon/true form/empowered thoughts"**_

**TECHNIQUE**

* * *

**Chapter 1: Parting leaf**

Peace and tranquillity reigned across the Hidden Leaf Village. By simply listening one could hear the birds singing, the wind rustling in the trees, the neighbour's cat's snoring and the sound of thundering feet running from the bathhouse.

"I'll get you for this brat! You traitorous little bastard!", a white haired, old man screamed as he was running. In hot pursuit were women clad in towels, armed with various objects which seemingly came out of no where. One of the mysteries the Great Toad Sage had yet to figure out.

At the head of the crowd was a busty, blond haired woman. In her forehead was a diamond shaped tattoo, which was unique to her. She was one of the biggest pervert bashers in Konoha. This was the Toad Sage's teammate. This was a chakra powered fist connecting with Jiraiya's face, sending him on collision course with the monument. "Seems you hadn't learned your lesson all those years ago! I think some re-education is in order! You just came back and this is the first thing you do?".

"Oh, nice shot Obaa-chan! And Ero-sennin, we both know who my parents are and we both know they're married!", a loud, masculine voice yelled, making the woman look up. Standing on the wall of a tall stood a very familiar boy. The boy had long but spiky, blonde hair. If one studied the hair closely one would see a weak red hue from it making it appear more orange. He was dressed in tan cargo pants which held various filled pockets. He wore a tan trench coat, a gift from his overprotective "big sister". His face was decorated with six whisker-like marks. Most noticeable was his blue, slitted eyes and pointed ears. As he spoke one could also see sharp fangs in his mouth.

"Come down here, brat, so I can get a proper look at you". The ninja revered as the Slug Princess said calmly. The boy simply grinned and jumped down, only to meet the sannin's fist as soon as he landed, sending him crashing into the dirt. "I've told you not to call me that! And may I ask why I found my grandfather's necklace in the woman's side of the bathhouse?".

The young man started to sweat bullets. He'd been wondering where he placed it. Tsunade had given him her grandfather's necklace as a graduation present when he graduated from the Ninja Academy, saying he should always fight for his beliefs, and to protect those he loved. The necklace was her symbol of the Will of Fire, the only personal item she had left of her beloved grandfather.

"I might be wrong, but this necklace is supposed to be in your possession, not lying around the bathhouse. Mind explaining, Naruto?".

Naruto could feel the tenuous atmosphere. One wrong move and he would invoke the wrath of the numerous women standing behind his godmother. Although the killing intent radiating from them were weak, women had a tendency of gaining unimaginable strength and power when chasing someone they declared a pervert. Of course most women wouldn't mind jumping him, they never liked when a man secretly peeked on them, no matter who they were.

"There is nothing to explain, Tsunade", interrupted a calm voice. "He is simply doing what is his nature as my son. Although I'm not sure you needed to go as far as that, son. You simply need to call and you'll have most girls in this village at our door screaming to have your babies, not that they don't do so already". Behind Tsunade stood now a red haired woman.

"Mom! You know there are few girls in this village that wants me as a person. To most I'm just an idol, a symbol of a position. I don't want a girl like that". Kushina simply laughed at the statement.

"But they can give you experience for the girl you do want. Just use a protection technique and they'll be none the wiser", she said smugly. The woman loved to tease her son. It was her privilege, and it would often lead to many amusing situations.

"Kushina! Don't encourage him! The old pervert is bad enough. I don't want my godson to turn into a spiritual copy of him!" the legendary kunoichi said. But the demoness simply grinned.

"Come, son. We have much to talk about. And I want every detail about your godfather's education".

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"So the old pervert basically just gave you directions and left you to your own devices?", the red head asked. She received a simple nod in response. "I'm going to flay him. Two years wasted on things you could do better at home".

Naruto could see the anger in his mother's eyes. They promised much pain and suffering inflicted upon the source of said anger. He had seen his mother like this a few times. The first time he was seven years old. Some rogue ninja holding a grudge against his father was out to get revenge. They did not however expect to see the fury of a demon. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned", the saying goes. But when said woman also is the strongest demon known to man, it gives the saying a whole new dimension. The ninjas departed the hidden village as food for the foxes residing in the forests around the village.

"_Almost makes me feel bad for the old man"_, Naruto thought.

"I will deal with that pervert later. We have more important matters at hand". Kushina's voice held a firm and serious tone. She would usually go from the joking, kind mother into the cold, serious clan leader when she had something important to say. Although she appeared cold when addressing her clan, every member knew she cared for all members. Nothing was more important to her, than her family.

"While you were away, I submitted an application on your behalf to Youkai Gakuen, in the world next to our own".

"Why would you send me to a school? I graduated the Academy years ago!", the hanyou protested. "What can they teach me there that I don't already know?".

Kushina smiled at her son's protests. "This is a civilian school, or as civilian as you can get not counting the unique features present. For one, you will learn more about the realm parallel to ours. Although the denizens of this realm are aware of the presence of other worlds, this world is almost isolated from such knowledge. As far as the humans are concerned, there are no world apart from the one they live in. As far as the monsters there, there are only two worlds: the mortal realm, as they call it, and the monster realm. At most, our world is simply a legend to them".

"All the more reason not to go! I want to spend more time with my friends here! Besides, someone need to put Sasuke back in his place, now that I'm home again. I bet the lack of my presence to put him down a few notches has gone to his head".

He was about to say more, when he caught Kushina's eyes. The eyes that said: 'you don't have a choice'. "You don't have to leave right away. There's still three months until the appointed date comes. You will be transferring into the second year class. You have time to peg Sasuke down, and to see your friends. Now, I'll give you some more details about our relationship with our brethren kitsune, and the other monsters of the world you're going to".

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Old man, one miso please!".

"Coming right up! It's good to see you back, kid. Ayame's been wondering when you'd drop by".

"Speaking of Ayame, where is she?".

"She's in Wave at the moment, getting some fresh supplies for us to use in our planned dish. She should be back in three days. Here you go, one Naruto-sized miso". The old ramen chef placed a large bowl of the noodle filled broth. He could see the young half-demon drooling over the contents .

"This is great! It's been to long since I had Ichiraku Ramen. Itadakimasu!", Naruto started to inhale the noodles at an astonishing pace. It was known throughout Konoha that he had received his own size at the popular ramen stand. Teuchi called out that if anyone managed to eat one Naruto-sized ramen alone, they'd get it for free. Naruto and his mother were the exceptions to this, as they both appeared to have black holes in their gut. So far, only one had managed the feat. But he collapsed the moment he put down his chopsticks. Teuchi had commissioned a seal master to make the bowls for his Naruto size. His stand only had a few of the bowls, but they'd made him a good amount of money.

"So, what are your plans now? Missions? Promotion?", the ramen chef asked.

Naruto's face darkened. Sadness spread across his usually happy face. "No. Mom's sending me to some civilian school in another world. Said it's tradition for our clan to attend that school, which I find a bit stupid considering our strange relationship with that world. She also said something like _'you'll most likely see a few familiar faces there, I won't tell who'_. I don't see how. I've never been to that world. Only other place I've been to is the summoning realm".

Teuchi pondered his second best customer's words. He had a vague idea about who she was talking about. But decided to stay quiet about it. After all, who was he to spoil such a surprise?

"What you thinking about old man? I know that look!".

"Nothing important Naruto. Now eat your ramen before it gets cold!"

All of the sudden, Naruto felt like someone had placed a large iceberg on his back. The sudden chill made him drop the constant illusion which was hiding his demonic features. _"I've got a bad feeling all of the sudden"_.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"NOW MY YOUTHFUL STUDENT! I HAVE HEARD THAT THE HOKAGE'S YOUTHFUL SON HAS RETURNED. LET'S SEE HOW MUCH YOUR ETERNAL RIVAL'S FLAMES OF YOUTH HAS BRIGHTENED OVER THE YEARS!", yelled a loud voice.

"YES, GAI-SENSEI. AND IF NARUTO-KUN'S FLAME HAS DIMINISHED I SHALL RUN FIVE HUNDRED LAPS AROUND THE VILLAGE WITH A BOULDER TIED TO MY BACK TO HELP HIM REGAIN HIS FLAMES OF YOUTH".

"AH MY YOUTHFUL STUDENT, YOUR PASSION INSPIRES ME! IF YOU CANNOT RUN FIVE HUNDRED LAPS AROUND THE VILLAGE WITH A BOULDER TIED ON YOUR BACK, I SHALL SPRINT TO SUNA AND BACK ON MY HANDS!"

"GAI-SENSEI!"

"LEE!"

"GAI-SENSEI!

"LEE!"

The greenclad duo embraced in a long, passionate hug. In the background one could see the ocean crashing against the sand, with the sun setting on the horizon. The sight would make any sane person want to claw out their eyes. Luckily there was no such person in sight.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

The three months felt like a few days for Naruto. One of the mornings, his self-proclaimed rival had barged into his bedroom demanding a duel. They settled at his team's old training area. After fifteen minutes of fighting, Naruto decided to end the tenuous fight before his friend would injure himself with one of his teacher's more dangerous techniques. The greenclad boy was crying waterfalls at the end of the fight. Went on his usual rant about Naruto being in his 'springtime of youth', only to be joined by his mentor in a massive hug. Naruto cursed his luck, as he was to late to withdraw from the disturbing duo. His terrorfilled shriek echoed the village.

Sasuke had as usual demanded a fight with him. Always seeking to outdo his brother, he wanted to test his might against Konoha's Fiery Hurricane. Although his use of stronger techniques against the young fox, he was once again proven that a cunning fox outsmarts the strong bear. After putting his 'brother' back into his place, the two sped the evening discussing the fight. Giving each other advice and revealing the flaws in what they did. As usual Sasuke's mistakes was his confidence in superior firepower.

And when the day of departure finally came, he'd almost done all he had planned to do before he left. There was only a few things missing on the schedule. Among them was having Teuchi and Ayame make him enough ramen to keep him full for more than a month. Sealing scrolls was such a wonderful invention. The ramenmaking duo almost fainted when the young hanyou ordered over a thousand servings of ramen. He spent the last week helping them make the god-given food and sealing them away in various scrolls, before sealing the scrolls away again in a big scroll he labelled 'In case of emergency'. On the last day he told Teuchi to send the bill to his father, to see if he could get a reaction from the legendary ninja.

"Alright son, the bus should arrive soon. Don't ask me what it is, you'll see. I know it'll be a different experience over there, but try to keep yourself dignified as my son. And if they treat you bad, put them in their place". Kushina said in a proud tone.

In the shadows of the great forest bordering the village, Naruto could see a pair of strange lights approaching fast. Not as fast as a ninja could run, but faster than a carriage. As the strange machine approached the large gates that was Konoha's main gate, he could see it more clearly. It was coloured yellow, and had several squared windows. Inside he could see a man wearing a suit. He would swear he saw his eyes glowing under his hat. In his mouth he had what Naruto had dubbed a 'stick of death', otherwise known as cigars.

As the bus finally stopped, the driver opened the doors and stepped out. "Hello there, Kushina. I take it this little rascal is the passenger I'm bringing? You sure you want to come with me, kid? Youkai Academy is a scary place".

"He doesn't have a choice in the matter, old man. He must uphold our traditions, otherwise we'll end up as the kitsune of your world. Now remember, Naruto, you are my heir. Although you're still centuries to young to take my position, you will one day take over as leader of our clan. This will be a good experience for you."

"You're in no position to call him old", Naruto muttered under his breath.

In response Kushina gave him a soft smile. "What was that, son?", she calmly asked.

"Nothing mom!", he immediately replied, not wanting to invoke his mother's wrath. "I'll see you later". He grabbed her into a hug, turned around and faced the mysterious driver. "If anything's scary about a school, it's the boring classes they usually invovle. Can't believe how people can stand going to such a place".

Nartuo grabbed his scroll-filled pack and headed for the bus. Before he finally entered he turned around one last time, looking his mother in her eyes. "I believe dad might need some comforting tonight. He's in for one big surprise in the morning paperwork", he stated, smiling ear to ear.

In the distance of the Hokage Tower, the demoness could hear the voice of her beloved husband screaming in frustration. "NARUTO! YOU'VE SPENT 150.000 RYO ON RAMEN? AND YOU DIDN'T SHARE WITH ME AND YOUR MOTHER?". From the weird vehicle, she could see her son grinning at her. "_He he, you'll find out soon enough how 'boring' that place is. I highly doubt you'll be without something to do, son. And if Tsurara's daughter is there, things are bound to get lively"_. She turned around and walked up the street. _"I should thank him though, tonight's going to be great"_. She thought, lightly wiping the drool from her mouth.

On the bus, Naruto was pondering what he should do when he got to the academy. _"I feel I've forgotten something. I just hope it won't come and bite my tails later"_. He did not notice a purple-haired woman sitting at the back of the bus.

* * *

**Author notes **

Well that's this chapter. What did Naruto forget? Who's the woman sitting in the bus? What will Naruto decide on when he finally gets to his destination? You're going to have to find out!

This chapter was a lot harder to write than I thought it'd be. I almost feel like I rushed it. But I'm pleased to how it turned out. It's pretty much just a filler chapter about Naruto's departure from Konoha, but I felt it was important to include it.

I will state though that there will be no lemons in this story. Though there will be strong suggestive themes, and hints to sexual acts. Because of this I am raising the rating to M, instead of T, just to be on the safe side.

I'm not sure if I'm going to include Tsukune in this story. Although it would be a lot of fun to include him, and it would give a lot of interesting story elements, it would also make things very hard for me. I will say that this is a NarutoxHarem fanfiction, as the challenge from Kyuubi16 states, and writing Tsukune into this will be hard. I need to experiment a bit on plot lines where he is present. The main challenge with writing Tsukune in the story isn't Tsukune himself, but the girls relationship with him. I'm currently brainstorming this issue though, I would love to have Tsukune in the story to give it more depth.

**

* * *

Translation notes**

Obaa-chan – grandmother, old woman

Ero-sennin – perverted hermit

Sannin – lit. three ninja, in Naruto the Sannin are Tsunade, Jiraiya and Orochimaru. They are known as Densetsu no Sannin, or the Legendary Three Ninja

Kitsune – fox demon

Kunoichi – female ninja

Youkai Gakuen – Demon/Spirit Academy

Itadakimasu – lit. "I humbly receive", basically let's eat.

Suna – lit. Sand, n this case meaning Village Hidden in Sand (Sunagakure no Sato)

Sensei - teacher

Ryo – the currency used in Naruto's world.

**

* * *

Review response**

Esuslol: Glad you liked it.

Kokuhi: The story will mostly take place at Youkai Gakuen, though Akatsuki isn't a threat in this story, as they don't exist, and the five nations are at peace. I'll leave the sources of conflict in the story a secret for now :P As for Tsukune, see my author notes.

Negi8820: I guess this chapter answered your first question. As for the other questions... you'll just have to wait and see. Things are bound to get interesting at the academy.

**

* * *

FROTC**

**Chunin Exam Day** by **Perfect Lionheart **

This was one of the first time travel fanfictions I read. And it's to date one of the best I have read. It's not like your usual time travel where Konoha is destroyed and Naruto goes back in time. This is a lot more fun! This is a time loop scenario. Naruto is stuck in the days of the Chunin Exam. If he does something wrong, he gets sent back to the first day again. What will be the right solution? There's tons of good humor, some Sasuke bashing for great comical effect and well written scenes. This is definitely a story I recommend you read if you have time, you won't regret it!


	3. Chapter 2: Meeting the lioness

This story is my response to Kyuubi16's Naruto-Rosario+Vampire crossover challenge.

Summary: Naruto and Mizore met when their were children because their mothers were old grew up knowing each other most of their childhood and made a promise to reunite amongst the Snow Whites when they both turn seventeen when they were twelve. Though things may not turn out the way they're planned...

Disclaimer: I do not own anything written in this story. The only thing that can belong to me are original techniques or original characters. But otherwise it's all belongs to Masashi Kishimoto and Akihisa Ikeda. If I unwittingly use another author's original technique, please let me know so I can place the credits where it's due.

Pairings are predetermined.

Legends:

"Normal speech"

_"Thoughts"_

**"Greater summon/greater demon/true form/empowered speech"**

_**"Greater summon/greater demon/true form/empowered thoughts"**_

**TECHNIQUE**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Meeting the lioness**

Naruto was in a seat in the strange contraption his mother had sent him away in. He made sure to keep his accessories hidden, the fewer who knew what he was, the better. He could maintain the illusion while sleeping, so he was in no danger of being exposed as a fox demon.

So here we find our young hero dozing off in one of the front seats. The strange man driving the vehicle glanced at him in the mirror from time to time. "Boy, we are going to take a detour to our destination. The headmaster asked me to pick up one more student on our way. I hope that's not a problem for you?".

The blonde hanyou shifted his sleeping position, admitting that he heard the man. "I'm in no hurry to get to some stupid school. Do what you want".

The busdriver smiled at the young fox's words. _"And so it begins anew"_.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Naruto awoke to a screeching sound. He glanced about his surroundings. Still on the bus. "Boy, we're taking a short break here. Go outside and get some air. You certainly look like you need it". In response, he rose from his seat and headed for the open door.

When he got outside, he took a deep breath and almost choked on the smell he was picking up. The air felt dirty, as if there had been a large forest fire. "Hey old man, where are we? The smell is terrible!" He looked around. We was apparently in a residential area, judging from the buildings around him. Most were small houses, but he could see some larger buildings to in the distance. On close inspection he saw a smoke cloud hanging over the distance. _"Is that smog? How can anyone build a city in an area like that?"_.

"This, young fox, is Tokyo. The capital of Japan, a nation in this realm. Although we are in the outskirts of the city", the bus driver said, with his trademark cigar in his hand. He moved the dubbed 'stick of death' to his mouth, and inhaled the smoke. "We are here to pick up a student. It might take a little time to get to our destination, but I'm sure this will give you a little view on this world".

Naruto simply stared at the man like he'd grown a second head. _"How can anyone live in a place like this? I doubt anyone from Konoha would be able to live with this smell. I really hope this city doesn't represent the general smell of this world"_. "I'm gonna have a look around. When do we have to leave?".

The bus driver tilted his hat to the side. "We leave in ten minutes. But our student will probably not be ready to leave for another five hours. It is rather early in this world right now". He drew another breath from the cigar. "You should be able to explore all you like before that time. Here, this device will let you find me. Simply follow the marker", he said and handed Naruto a strange radio. The radio was small, but housed a simple screen. On it, a yellow light was flashing. "That's a transmitter homing on this bus. Do take care of it for me, as I only have one. Now off you go. And before I forget, the humans in this world doesn't have any extraordinary powers. So no walking on walls, techniques or anything else you might find normal for ninja or monsters. Have fun". Naruto shrugged at the man's forceful attitude, but decided to comply with him. 'Nothing's more valuable than experience and knowledge', or so his mother often told him. He turned around, and left the street to explore this strange city.

The suited driver returned to his seat inside the bus. He glanced at the shadow sitting at the back. "You sure you're okay coming with us to the Academy? It is a very scary place". The shadow shifted. He could see the forming of a grin, only clearly seeing the white teeth, and the brown pupil-less eyes. "The only thing that scares me is Kushina-sama's reaction to me being here. I'd rather not face her just yet. Besides, the brat needs to remember what he forgot before he left Konoha!"

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Naruto was walking around the streets in Tokyo. He'd seen many strange things. More strange contraptions moving around, flying metal birds, buildings tall as mountains and weird little plastic boxes the population were constantly talking into. At first he thought the small boxes were radios, but having this many radios in proximity like this would require millions of frequencies to work. The radios used in Konoha were the most advanced available in the Elemental Nations, but they paled compared to the devices used here. Even the most advanced products from Spring Country were primitive. He'd seen floating trains, floating! The amount of chakra required to maintain such a device would kill even the most experienced ninjas, but here they were gliding on the single rails. But the most curious thing he experienced was the human's actions. None of them were reacting to the foul smell saturating the air. Naruto couldn't understand it.

As he followed the streets, he picked up the faint sound of fighting. The sound of fists connecting to chins, bodies hitting the dirt. He decided to follow the noise, making sure to restrict his speed not to rise suspicion.

Naruto followed the sound to what seemed to be a construction site. _"Well that is a real cliché, fighting at a construction area"_. What he saw surprised him. He saw two teens boxed in by four other teens. On the ground were two more, knocked out cold. He kept to the shadows, drawing closer to the group. He noticed the bruised bodies of the two teens who were unconscious. _"These are very precise hits. Wonder who did this"._

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Aono Kyouko. That was her name. A name most boys would shiver at by mere mention of her. She'd built quite a bad reputation in her years at school. They called her various things. Tomboy or wild cat were the usual things, not that they were incorrect. However there was one name few dared to use. 'The sleeping lioness'. She disliked that nickname, even though it suited her. It was a foul reminder to a certain event.

Her cousin, Aono Tsukune, could be called brave. Foolhardy so. He would throw himself into the eye of a storm to help his friends. This time, his noble deeds caught up with him. Two of her classmates decided to put him in his place. Being the kind and gentle relative she was, she decided to help her dear cousin out. The result were rumours. Rumours that still haunted her. She took the two boys out with ease, in the aftermath they had described her as a sleeping lioness, hence the nickname. Because of this event, her calm and peaceful school life was ruined. Boys would appear left, right and centre to challenge her, and even if she declined they would attack anyway. And then she would have to defend herself, which usually resulted in the boys planted on the floor, dirt or wherever they decided on challenging her. Eventually, she was forced to take martial arts lessons to stay ahead of the delinquents. Although useful, she hated having to use it.

Now, some of her seniors were yet again out to revenge their subordinates. This would normally not be a problem, but when the leaders of the various groups ganged up on her, things got a lot more complicated. Not to mention Tsukune was with her. Although brave, he had close to zero fighting ability. If she were to say it crudely, he could be viewed as a meat shield. But she did not want her dear cousin to be that, even if he insisted on throwing himself in the way of their opponents approaching fist!

So now she and Tsukune were in quite the bind. Six older boys were to much for them. She had taken down two of them, but that had taken it's toll on the duo. Tsukune was a lot more beat up than she was, but he was still standing. While Tsukune were suffering from many blows, she was starting to feel the inevitable fatigue of a prolonged fight. They had been going at it for 20 minutes now. From simple observations, she had deduced that two of her opponents had been practising boxing. Most unfavourable for her, because of their endurance.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Naruto carefully observed the group. The girl had a solid stance, though somewhat sloppy. _"Most likely fatigue"_. Two of the boys had more openings than a fresh academy student, most likely favoured powerful attacks at random locations. Not suited against the girl's solid pose. The other two stood in a somewhat solid pose, however from what Naruto could see they were vulnerable to low attack. They had most likely had some form for hand-to-hand experience, but not enough real situation experience. The last boy, who was currently standing in behind of the girl with a serious expression was on the verge of collapse. Naruto was impressed by his willpower. From his physique, one could see he was not a fighter, nor did he have any visible training. He was a simple weakling. But to be able to stand in his condition required a lot of willpower. Any normal human would have lost consciousness long ago.

He could see the two least patient boys move in for a shot at the girl. She would have dodged the hits with ease, as they were making a lot of unnecessary movements, but the injured boy jumped straight into the punches. After the punches connected, the boy finally collapsed, knocked cold.

The air suddenly went ice cold. There was a heavy presence. Naruto easily identified the feeling, killing intent. Lots of it, for a a non-ninja. As an experienced ninja, Naruto easily shrugged it off. The remaining boys on the other hand, did not. _"She's really angry. Wonder if I should intervene"._

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"_How dare they? How dare they harm Tsukune?"_. The four boys suddenly froze before her. They apparently had no idea what happened. Neither did Kyouko for that matter. They just froze. She moved slowly, every step seemingly taking hours. She was red with fury. One of the leaders barely managed to whisper a warning to his comrades. "Watch yourselves, this is why she's called the sleeping lioness. My subordinates told me she fights like a beast in this state, fearless and without mercy".

She could see the four boys sweating. Merely by her radiating anger. The shadow of the construction behind her, and the sun reflected in the surrounding windows made her eyes look like they were glowing. An ice cold gaze, without pity.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

From his vantage point, Naruto narrowed his eyes. A civilian should not be able to radiate this kind of killing intent. Although low compared to ninjas in general, it was on par with a mid-level genin. He could feel the killing intent slowly rising. _"Well, that settles it. I need to intervene"_.

Kushina had taught her son some of the basic customs of this realm. One thing she emphasized was killing another human in this realm, no matter the cause, was a crime. The closest thing to "legal killing" this world had was execution, wars or last resort law enforcement. When he asked about last resort law enforcement, she simply shrugged and said 'when the criminal is armed and ready to kill someone, and there is no other way to prevent him or her from killing'. Even so, the decision to kill another was not taken lightly. Even though taking a persons' life is never something one should take lightly. Both she and his father often told him: 'Only kill as last resort. The moment you kill for the sake of killing and bloodlust, you'll be no worse than the primitive demons that only live by instinct. If that time comes, my son or no, I will personally kill you. We of the fox demon clan are not savages who would kill someone needlessly. Prank them, trick them, yes. But never kill'. Of course the last part with about the clan was his mother's words. But both had told him he would die by their hands, should he give in to the primal bloodlust.

His mother detested the primal demons. Demons who only lived to kill and sow chaos. She would send them back to Yomi whenever she could, often in very painful ways. And his father had a promise to uphold when he married Kushina, one of the vows he had to make to be accepted by her kinsmen: personally hunt down any child of his that lost themselves to bloodlust.

In one fluid motion, Naruto unleashed his weapons of choice.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Kyouko was raging. Her vision was red. She registered everything that happened around her. At least that's what she thought. The only things she caught was a short burst of light moving towards her location at high speeds. Then her adversaries fell over. She was unsure what happened. She was certain she hadn't done anything.

She slowly walked towards the fallen bodies. What she saw terrified her. Long steel needles. Planted in their necks. She started to tremble, the weight of her fear increasing by the seconds. She knelt down besides the bodies and used her index and middle fingers to check their necks for a pulse.

There was none. They were dead. She could not understand what happened. In one moment they were frozen before her fury, then suddenly just dead.

She started to feel faint. Her mind was a complete mess. Someone had been murdered right in front of her. Suddenly, at the corner of her vision, she saw movement. At least she thought it was movement. It was so fast it might just have been dust moving in the wind. But there was no wind. The last thing saw, was piercing blue eyes, and a soft voice saying: "Relax, they're not dead. Only in a medical near-death state. They will live". Then she succumbed to darkness.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Naruto sighed. This didn't go according to plan. He didn't mean for the girl to see him, only hear him. Although it was just briefly, the vision would be pasted to her memory. Events where a person seemingly died right in front of you usually burned straight into a person's brain. His training with seals hadn't gotten to the point where he could create memory seals on a human mind. He only knew the theory behind it. But if he attempted it without authorized supervision, he could make her a prisoner within her own memories at worst. Not a desirable outcome. So he did the next best thing. He knocked her cold, hopefully she'd think of it as a dream. The only question was now how he should get the girl and boy home. He'd just leave the group of delinquents. They would be alright, eventually.

As for the unconscious duo, he would have to carry them. Normally this would be a problem. After all, he doubted the people wandering around would allow him to peacefully carry two unconscious people, where one had extensive injuries. However, Naruto was not only a ninja after all. He was a half-fox demon. As such he had an impressive mastery of illusions. He easily devised an illusion to disguise the teens as backpacks. Then he made one shadow clone to carry the unconscious boy, while he would carry the girl. He then cast another illusion on himself and his clone, to appear like two teens he'd seen on a very big, no huge, TV. While he could shapeshift into them, he didn't feel like doing it, as just using illusions were a lot easier. It was not as if any one could detect his illusions. For the general people walking around, it'd look like him and the clone were carrying normal backpacks.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Naruto was walking, fast. Things didn't go according to plan. His plan to get the injured boy to a hospital went smoothly. Then things started to go wrong. A few minutes after he left the hospital, he noticed people following him. Very unusual, especially as he did not have any enemies in this realm. Not that he knew of anyway. He increased his pace. The group followed suit. Then he heard a female voice shout: "HE'S GONNA RUN!". And the hunt was on. An abnormally large group appeared out of no where. And they were chasing him for reasons he did not know. Had he been home in Konoha, he'd recognize this situation. Fan girls. But the girls here didn't know he was the son of the Hokage. They didn't know he was the son of the Queen of Demons. And they sure didn't know he had what his fan girls at home called 'cute fluffies', referring to his tails and ears. So why did he amass such a large group so quickly?

He continued his sprint through the streets, gathering more and more pursuers. This was worse than his fan girls at home. Atleast there he could easily lose them by running into his sister's favourite playground. But here he had no idea where to run. Not to mention he couldn't use his full speed to escape, or any of his ninja abilities. He was in quite the bind. Then it hit him like one of Gai's flashy smiles. The bus driver. He could probably get him out of this bind. He quickly pulled out the radio he'd received. Hit the switch to turn it on. Nothing happened. The screen stayed black. There was no flashing, yellow dot to follow. He was about to lose his virginity by a large group of ravaging females, and he had no backup! He could almost hear his mentor's perverted giggles at the situation, scribbling his notebook. The situation was critical!

He sped into the alleys in an attempt to lose the mass of people. The group followed suit, although at a slower pace because of the narrowness of the alley. As he turned a corner, he was suddenly grabbed by a hand, dragging him into a building. "Hush, don't make a sound". He turned around to see a strange girl. She couldn't be older than 12. "You sure picked the right disguise, Naru-chan. Of all people to disguise yourself as, you had to pick one of the idols". She giggled, clearly savouring his panicked expression. "You should see your face. Come with me." They moved through the building, Naruto could see large boxes piled on top of each other. This was obviously some sort of storage area. "Oh, yes. We haven't been formally introduced yet. I am Kasumi, just Kasumi".

Naruto wasn't sure what to think. This girl had suddenly rescued him from the lustful mob, but more importantly: she knew who he was. She saw straight through his illusion. This was no ordinary girl. It was apparent she knew him, or of him, but he did not know her.

"Don't look at me like I've grown a second head", the girl said, narrowing her eyes.

"Sorry, I was just...".

"Analysing me? You've been with that old pervert for to long. Not everyone who knows you are your enemies".

The girl had long, brown hair and wore it in a ponytail. She was wearing a strange, green outfit. The skirt had a green-brown squared pattern. Long blue socks and simple, but polished black shoes. But most noticeably with were her forest-green eyes. Naruto felt like he was looking into the vast forest surrounding Konoha.

"Who are you?", Naruto asked.

"I told you. I'm Kasumi. Ka-su-mi.".

Naruto frowned. "That's not what I meant".

"I know that's not what you meant. But ask yourself: who are you? I can tell who you are. You are Naruto. Son of Uzumaki Kushina, Kyuubi and Queen of the Fox demon clan in the Elemental Realm, not to mention Guardian of Fire. As her son, you are prince of said clan. You are also son of Namikaze Minato, Fourth Hokage of Konohagakure. First and only man in history to gain the 'flee on sight' order in the Bingo Book. However, all this does not accurately tell me who you really are. So if I ask you 'who are you?', what will you answer?".

Naruto tried to speak, but no words would come from his mouth. This twelve year old girl, or she appeared to be twelve years old, so efficiently left him without words. Only his mother could do this to him. Kasumi sighed. "The correct answer is: 'I am Naruto'. There is no other answer to the question. You simply are yourself".

"But I'm not here to be discussing philosophy with you. Come with me. I know where that girl lives."

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Kyouko awoke to the worst headache she'd ever experienced. Strangely enough she was in her own bed. _"I could've sworn I was outside. Tsukune!"_, she tore herself from her bed. Looking around, she found nothing out of the ordinary, other than the time. 13:23.

"...son you know where the girl lives, is because you're renting a room at her house. I find this very convenient."

She heard a voice. She had never heard it before, but it felt familiar. _"It can't be"_.

"There you go again, Naru-chan. You really have spent to much time with that old pervert. How he managed to attain the title as Sage is beyond me. Still, you're free to believe whatever you want. She's a good girl."

"_Kasumi, who're you talking to?"_. Kyouko approached the wall separating the two rooms, and pressed her ear to it. _"Eavesdropping is bad"_, said a voice in the back of her head. But she didn't care.

"That's what Madara said to, before mom incinerated him", she heard the unknown voice mutter. "But let's end the discussion here. She's awake".

"_How did he know?"_. She rushed out of her room towards Kasumi's door. And barged in. There was only one person in there. Kasumi. She was holding her cellphone.

"I heard voices, who were you talking to?", Kyouko stuttered nervously.

"Just with an acquaintance, he brought you here, then left. Said he found you and your cousin collapsed at the construction-site near the station. Around you were the bodies of six boys. Got yourself into another fight, Kyo-chan?".

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Naruto was observed the interaction between the two girls. Although he was standing in pretty plain sight, he was cloaked by a lower level genjutsu. The girl, Kyouko, would not be able to see, nor hear him.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Kyouko studied the room. There was something amiss here. She could feel it. Every fiber of her being screamed something was off. But she shrugged it off, there was nothing there.

"They attacked us. I don't go looking for trouble".

"Still you knock six boys, older boys at that to, cold. Not an easy feat.".

"But if I knocked them cold, why was I unconscious? And where is Tsukune?!", Kyouko was desperate to know if her cousin was alright. Her problems should stay hers. Tsukune didn't need to be dragged into the endless cycle she'd been dragged into.

"Easy, easy. For your last question: hospital, my friend took him there. For your other question: I don't know. I'm no doctor. I study physics, not medicine. Though I'd imagine your mind could not stay conscious because of the physical fatigue you ex..."

"Stop. I'm not in a condition to go with such large words. Simple words, please".

Kasumi sighed. "You were tired. Exhausted. That's the end of it".

Kyouko just stared at Kasumi, trying to process the words. "I'm going to bed, my head is still spinning". She sluggishly turned around, and walked out of the room.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"She sensed you, if only just barely. You should have used a higher level cloak", Kasumi casually said into the emptiness of her room.

Naruto suddenly phased in like a ghost. "I noticed. I did not think I would need a higher level technique. Who is she? At the construction-site she radiated killing intent like a genin back home. And she could feel I was still present. That's nothing a normal, human civilian can do. Frankly, I don't think a ninja back home can sense me". Naruto crossed his arms, looking intensely at the door, as if it would burst open at any moment.

"Well, she cannot be called a normal civilian. Not after her short time at that weird dojo across the city. Had some weird, long name to. Ryou-something. Apparently it's the home for six master level martial artists. They can be classed as monsters among men. She was tutored there for only a few weeks, but it drastically improved her awareness, not to mention her skills". Kasumi shifted her position, looking dreamingly out the window. "She's been through a lot. She's caught in what she calls an unending cycle of hatred. I'm sure you've heard of such a cycle, no?".

Naruto shifted his gaze from the door. He knew all to well of this cycle. His godfather often talked about breaking the chain of hatred that bound the Elemental Nations. This cycle had claimed countless lives. Children cruelly taught to fear wars at young age. Children growing up angry of this fear. And anger growing into hate. And in the end, wars started because of this hatred. Although the Nations were at peace, that could quickly change. Even a small overstep by one of the countries could spark another great shinobi war. Just like the Third War started when Sunagakure was searching for their beloved Third Kazekage.

"Yeah. I know of what she speaks. The old pervert often talked about it. Nagato and Konan also said so. Even if they could not forgive the devastation the great villages, namely Konoha, inflicted on Rain Country, they would not act out of hatred as it could spark another war, and more add suffering on their land. And there are plenty of innocents who would suffer, should a war break out."

"But enough about these depressing things. Shouldn't you really be on your way to Youkai Academy?", Kasumi asked.

Naruto narrowed his eyes at this. "Why do you think I'm heading to some school? I am a fully educated ninja, as you apparently know".

Kasumi smiled at him. "The only reason you would come to this realm at this stage was to attend Youkai Academy. And I know for a fact that your clan has a tradition to send their kits there. You need to stop being so suspicious. It's not healthy".

"You're clearly not some little girl. How old are you really, and how do you know my clan?"

"You know, it's rude to ask a lady her age. Didn't the Toad Sage teach you that? But you're right, I'm not twelve years old. My age I will keep to myself, there is no reason for you to know. As for how I know your clan's habits, I'll just say I know many things", Kasumi replied, still smiling.

"I give up. I'm not getting any answers from you. But you're right, I should get going. Need to find that weird driver", Naruto said as he moved for the door. Making sure not to make a sound that could wake the sleeping girl in the next room. "Will you be attending the academy? I assume that outfit you're wearing is the uniform for the place".

"No, I graduated from that place long ago. I just grew attached to the uniform. I'll be seeing you, Naru-chan". _"You're in for quite the surprise, telling you outright would be boring. I guess I'll have to help Kyo-chan packing"._ Kasumi calmly left her room and headed for Kyouko's room, intent on helping her dear friend get ready for her new school.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Naruto left in complete silence. No body could hear the doors slide open and close. The only evidence he was ever in the house was the lingering scent of his presence, but no one had the keen nose required to pick it up.

He walked calmly past the various houses. He was impressed by their engineering. Simple, yet elegant in design. The designs were comparable to the dwellings of the wealthier merchants in Konoha. While Konoha had a lot of wealthy clans, merchants, ninjas and civilians, the village was built with high level of security in mind, and as such the buildings were built to be able to withstand possible invaders, and to be used as a high ground for the defending ninja should the village's massive walls ever be breached. Thus the centre of the village had lots of tall buildings with narrow streets. With exception of the main street leading to the Hokage's administrative tower and residence, otherwise known as the Hokage Tower. And said street could turn into a death-trap on moment's notice, should the need ever arise. Surrounding the tower itself was a think, tall wall with seals erected to it so it could repel most any ninjutsu cast on it, effectively making the tower a fortress. These buildings however were build in a peaceful time, without worry for a possible war breaking out. They were sturdy though, enough to withstand mild earthquakes, Naruto concluded.

As Naruto wandered aimlessly around, he eventually got back to the more urban areas. Buildings became taller, streets became wider and the foul stench of burned materials penetrated his nose. He could feel someone's gaze upon him, but was unsure where it came from. He did not notice any hostile intent from the perpetrator, so he assumed it was merely a passing glance. But when the feeling did not disappear, Naruto became slightly wary.

"Well hello there, young sir", a short man suddenly called out. Naruto turned towards the voice, looking at the source questioningly.

"Yes, you. The handsome, young man with the tan trench coat". The man was well dressed. Neat jeans with a stylish shirt. Over the shirt was a thin jacket. Covering his eyes were a pair of sunglasses.

"Can I help you?", Naruto asked calmly, but ready for any action this stranger could take against him. Although he could sense no hostility, he could sense that the man wanted something.

"Why yes, thank you for asking! My name is Tute, Alrigan Tute, and I am in quite the bind with my latest project. I am more or less done with it, but I'm lacking the key for my art", the man was fiercely eyeing Naruto, studying him.

"And this relates to me how?", Naruto slowly said, feeling increasingly nervous over the man's gaze. It almost felt like a fangirl's lustful gaze, but this man was clearly not interested in getting into his pants.

"I was getting to that. You see: I am an artist, or rather as the population knows me: a designer. And I need a model for my latest collection. You, young man, are perfect for the job! So what do you say? Will you do this for me? It'll give you some quick pocket money".

Naruto was unsure what to think of this human. He had heard about the variety of professions from his mother, a designer was supposed to be designing something. Though what he designed, Naruto was unsure of, he did not really pay much attention to it. For all he knew he could be designing a nice collection of weapons! After all, the blacksmiths forging the various weapons were artists! Naruto was caught by the thought. The image of beautiful weapons, just waiting to be wielded. He knew Tenten would be extremely jealous, she had been drooling over his sword for a long time. But then came the model part. For what reason would he need a model for a weapon collection? Naruto pondered over the problematic question. But then came to mind that the man did not have the build to be a blacksmith.

"Well? I assure you, you will be well compensated for your time".

Naruto broke his train of thought, this man couldn't possibly overpower him. Neither could any other human for that matter. If it came down to it he could just cast an illusion on him and escape.

"Sure, why not?".

"Excellent! Come this way, follow me, mister..."

"Naruto, Namikaze Naruto".

"Well, Namikaze-san, come with me to my studio, and we'll get this show on the road!".

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

"Well, Namikaze-san, here we are. It might not look like much, but this is my workspace and photo studio. This is where I do most of my work. Despite the public's image of me, I am quite a humble man in my work, unlike those extravaganza people from America and Europe . One cannot make art without a few... quirks".

"_This man must be mad, but he's right"_, Naruto thought, thinking about the jounins back in Konoha. A mental image of Gai's massive man-hugs shot through his head. _"But compared to most of them, he's sane"_.

The man had led him to a very neat-looking shop. Inside there was rows and rows of clothes, Naruto caught the glimpse of a price-tag. The number made his head spin. _"People buy these things?"_. From the shop itself he was guided through a door leading to a huge room. On the walls were various sketches, some were very good. Others were good, but scribbled over, as if not meeting the standard of the artist. There was a few mirrors lined up in a half-circle, as to give the artist a full view of whatever he was making. This was the workspace of a tailor.

"So, how are we doing this?", Naruto queried.

"It's very simple, really. Behind you is a changing room. In there you will find sets of clothes. Put on those who're folded together. I'm leaving the order of the clothes to you. Come back out here once you're clothed and we'll begin taking pictures!", the enthusiastic man said.

Naruto hesitantly complied with the man's orders. In the room, he found eight sets of clothes. _"These clothes look quite comfortable"_, Naruto reasoned.

Naruto comfortably put on the first set. He liked it. A lot. Rather simple jeans, but with an elegant design. A short sleeved shirt with weird symbols sewn into it. Over the shirt was a vest with various pockets, almost reminding him of the Chuunin vests, minus the armour platings embedded into it. Finishing the set was a simple hat and a pair of sunglasses.

"_This should do it"_, Naruto thought and went for the door back to the studio. What he found stunned him slightly. The vastness of Tute's workspace was now filled with various objects. Lights, carpets, various things usually used in a theatre.

"You look marvellous, if I may say so myself, Namikaze-san. Come right over here and we'll start taking pictures!", Tute exclaimed.

The designer ordered Naruto around for what seemed like hours. Special postures, tilting his head slightly, just minor adjustments to what Naruto already did. A new set of clothes brought a new scene. In one he was on what seemed to be a beach, the next was in a huge city, only to be put at the base of a mountain in the next. Naruto was impressed by the efficiency of the enthusiastic man.

"That's it! Thank you for your hard work, Namikaze-san.", Tute finally said, grinning like a fox. "It will take some time for me to process these pictures and publish them, but in the end everything will pay out".

Naruto nodded. This task was finally over with. He glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. 30 minutes until he had to meet with the bus driver.

"Here's your payment, and take my card. Contact me whenever you're in the city and need something to do. I'm sure I can give you something", Tute said whilst giving Naruto an envelope. "You'll find a check inside, you can go turn it in at the bank just around the corner".

Naruto opened the envelope. The number he found on the slip made him widen his eyes. "Sir, isn't this a bit much?", he questioned.

Tute merely laughed at the question. "That's the standard pay I give my models, plus an extra bonus for the inconvenience".

"Inconvenience?".

"Well, I did 'get you off the street', as they say. You took your time to help me out here and that should not go unrewarded. 'The most precious thing somebody can give you is their time'. A teacher I studied under told me that. And I find it to be quite true."

Naruto nodded in understanding. "Well, I must be off. I have someone I must meet in 30 minutes".

"Take care, Namikaze-san. I hope our paths cross again", the man bowed at Naruto before closing the door behind him. "Interesting kid. Just hope he's ready for what will inevitably happen", he said to himself.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

The little device Naruto'd gotten finally started working. The infernal little machine had suddenly come alive, making an increasingly annoying sound. And for Naruto's sensitive ears, the noise was down right agonizing. He tried to find a button to turn the hell made device off, but it only served to increase the volume of the sound.

He sped through the streets, people casting passing glances towards the sound, who'd only catch a glimpse of the blur that was Namikaze Naruto. The rate the transmitter was pinging was increasing as he ran, at the same time the little dot on the screen was gradually moving towards the centre of the device. Without a doubt, he was closing on his destination. He eventually turned a corner, and saw the yellow contraption parked just outside a walled in building. The wall was just tall enough to prevent a normal civilian to scale it by jumping and grabbing the ledge. Though easily climbable for two people. Just past the front gate he saw uniformed teens looking at a board.

"Ah, you've finally come, young man.".

The voice startled Naruto. He had not sensed any presence at all. The driver stood just in front of the bus. Naruto was surprised that he had not noticed the uniformed man. Especially not as he was still smoking his cigar.

"You're just in time", the man said, smirking. "And I see my tracker's still working, good".

Naruto snapped out of his daze. "Turn this infernal device off!", he yelled.

"My, my. Don't get your tails in a knot", the bus driver said, pulling out a small remote with one single button. The intense sound immediately stopped.

Naruto let go a sigh of relief. His ears was still ringing from the sound, but it was already starting to get better.

"So, why are we here, old man?", Naruto inquired.

"We're waiting for our second student", the driver cryptically answered. "She should be coming soon".

"This is a school? Wouldn't this student of yours be attending here then?".

"No, she failed the admittance exam for this school, we're just here to pick her up. She's quite a smart girl, just what we need for our Yokai Gakuen".

"In other words, you've manipulated her exam so she would fail here, and come to your academy instead?", Naruto analysed.

"Don't read so much into it, boy. We have not done anything. We merely know that she failed this exam, and thus she's been admitted to our school".

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the answer. There was clearly more to it than that, but decided to let it slide, for now.

"So, what's her name?", Naruto inquired.

"Who said it was a girl?", the man answered.

"You did", Naruto calmly replied.

The man smirked. "It seems like your hearing is still functional. Aono Kyouko, I believe you've met her".

"Oh?".

"I believe Kasumi-chan led you to her home".

"So her name was Kyouko. Interesting girl. But how do you know this?", Naruto narrowed his eyes.

"Don't ponder such unimportant details. You'll find that little escapes my notice", the man cryptically answered. "But she should be coming soon. I have already picked up her bags".

True to his word, the girl in question came walking out the main gate, sulking her head.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Kyouko's world was in shambles. The only school she'd want to attend to had declined her. She had failed the admittance exam. This all-girl's school was supposed to be her safe haven from the area's delinquents. Now she'd probably have to go to a school where she'd be harassed by boys demanding fights again.

Moving from the city to study in a far off place was a very attractive choice for her now.

She walked past the main gate, noticing a bright yellow, American school bus standing on the parking lot. _"That bus was not there earlier. No matter"_, Kyouko thought. Next to the bus she saw two men. Or rather, a man and a boy. The man was dressed in a suit, with a signature hat and cigar. The boy caught her eyes though. He seemed out of place, but at the same time she felt like she should just ignore him. A curious thing, as he was quite handsome. His bright, yellow hair shone bright like the morning sun, making him stand out where he stood. But no one seemed to notice him.

Her lines of thought came to an abrupt end, as the man approached her. "You're finally here. We've been waiting for you", the man said.

"Waiting for me?", she hesitantly replied. She could not figure why two people would wait for her outside the school she'd just failed to enter. And she did not know the two.

"We were originally going to pick you up at your house, but you were not there. Your house mate told us we'd find you here, so we waited".

She noticed the boy shoot a glare at the old man. But it quickly turned into the same impassive look he had earlier.

"Why have you been waiting for me? And who are you?", she dared herself to ask.

"I am called... the Bus Driver, and I am here to take you to the school you've been admitted to", the man replied, adding a pause for dramatic effect.

"School? I haven't applied to any other school than this one", Kyouko answered with a straight face.

"Then this admittance form we've received from you was not from your parents?", the man took out a sheet of paper, holding it in front of her to read.

On the paper was her father's signature. As well as her grades and other necessary information for a school admittance form.

"That's... hold on".

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

Naruto saw the girl, Kyouko, put her hand into her bag. She picked up a small device. From the looks of it, it was a small mobile radio. He could see some numbers on it below a screen that covered half the device. She hit the numbers in a decided order, then she held it to her ear and waited.

"Did you send an application to a school without me knowing?!", she suddenly yelled into the radio. There was a pause. "What do you mean just in case?!", another pause. Naruto could hear faint sounds coming from the device, but he could not clearly hear what was said, due to the background noise of the city. "Isn't it a bit convenient that someone just drops a pamphlet in front of you?!". Naruto could see the girl's anger, he was happy he was not on the receiving end of the fury. There was a long pause, then the anger slowly started to dissipate, but her face was still set in a frown. "Fine. I'll go to this Youkai Gakuen. Hopefully it'll give me some peace from all the delinquents following me around here. But I am NOT happy about this. You went behind my back! When I get home, there'll be hell to pay!". Naruto could faintly hear the sound of a wince over the little machine.

**o.O.o.O.o.O.o**

She was fuming. Her father had dared to go behind her back like this. She stared at the suited man. "Apparently, my old man decided he wanted to make sure I'd get a school. Didn't matter to him where, and this school of yours was the first that sprung to his mind, thanks to your little flyer. I'll be coming. Just need to get home and grab my things".

She saw a smile spread across the driver's face. "No need for such a thing. Your friend was kind enough to transport your luggage into my lovely bus. And if you were to ask her, she'd say our Youkai Gakuen is a good school. Little Kasumi did graduate from there, after all. But, are you sure? Youkai Gaken is a sca...".

The man was interrupted by the coated boy. "Scary this, scary that. It's just a school. I'm sorry, but this man's been saying that all day. Doubt it's more scary than what's back home", he said while rolling his eyes.

"Yes, your mother can be quite scary when provoked. She really put her mark on the school when she attended".

Kyouko observed the exchange, not knowing what to think. "Great, a weird driver and a mother's boy", she sighed to herself.

"Hey, if your mother could level a mountain, you'd be scared to", the yellow haired teen commented. "But if it comforts you: I'll say you're not the only one who's not happy with this arrangement. I don't want to attend this school either, but I don't have a choice. I have responsibilities I cannot overlook. Sadly family tradition is part of that. But enough about these depressing this. I am Namikaze Naruto, pleased to make your acquaintance", the boy said holding his hand out.

Kyouko was not sure what to think about this boy. He was clearly a foreigner, but he still had Asian blood in his veins, from what she could see. If she's going to attend a school somewhere, she might as well get to know people. She shock the teen's hand. "Aono Kyouko. And sorry for asking, but have we met? I feel I've seen you before". She hadn't really seen him, but she felt she had heard his voice. He sounded a lot like the voice she heard Kasumi talk to. His eyes were also piercing blue, a eye colour that was burned into her mind.

"I don't think so. Maybe you've glanced at me when I've seen Kasumi. She's a friend of the family.", came the reply almost instantly. His face gave no indication that his reply was a lie, he simply smiled.

"Well enough lollygagging", the Bus Driver said. "Get in my merry bus and let's get moving, we're burning daylight".

* * *

**Author Notes**

First off I must say I'm sorry for the extremely tardy update. I've been working a lot in the past years and I've moved from home, started university, so I haven't really had the time to sit down and be creative. I've also rewritten this chapter a LOT. I'm very picky and I needed to get the chapter up to my desired standard, honestly still not satisfied with it. Think I've rewritten the chapter a total of four times.

This is going to be a long AN, as I guess some questions might arise on how I write this. So I'm gonna try to answer the questions I imagine I'll be getting. TL;DR: to bad, because if the questions are answered here, I won't answer them in next chapter.

Some of you have asked me if I can write the chapters longer. I sure can, but that'll mean it'll take longer between each chapter. I need to proofread the chapter and make sure it the story flows properly. Not to mention make sure there's no plotholes (which I'm terrible at). Chapters will vary in length, depending on the story of the chapter.

Now, some might feel that I'm writing very slowly, not meaning in terms of release of chapters, but with the slow progression of things to happen. That's because I like to have a feel of the surroundings. I dislike when there's only dialogue and it goes Insert fight scene and then just more dialogue. I like to have an image of the environment and to describe things. So there's more flesh on the world of the story.

Now, because I'm throwing Kyouko into the story in place of Tsukune, many things will change in the story. Naruto won't take Tsukune's role either, as that's pretty dull in my opinion and overused. So certain events that happen in the manga might not happened in this story, although most probably will but in a different way.

When it comes to Kyouko's personality, she's described as a tomboy and other than the few chapters of the manga we don't really see much of her. And no, I haven't seen her in the anime. Really disliked the anime adaption of Rosario + Vampire. Now, because of this description, I'm going to forge her personality and history as I see fit. This is fanficiton after all.

As for Kyouko's fighting, yes, I made her an adept at fighting. I dislike the idea of her being a damsel in distress. I also see her as someone who refuses to let boys look down on her simply because she's a girl. (Angry girls are scary. Remember that well, readers). And no, she's no monster, half-monster or any of the like. She's just a really scary girl when angered (again, angry girls are scary). The dojo she studied at is an easter egg/reference to another manga I've really liked. (Don't own said dojo)

I'm not sure which city Kyouko's from, nor Tsukune for that matter. I can't remember it ever being mentioned in the manga. But Tokyo's a good a place as any.

Kasumi's an OC and she's not going to be part of the harem, and she'll only be playing a supporting role. She's an unknown monster for now, but you're free to take guesses.

Naruto and Sage mode, yes he can use Sage mode. However it is very unstable because his demonic half directly conflicts nature.

Yes, Naruto's met Nagato and Konan. Remember there is no Akatsuki in this story.

Regarding the long time spent in the human world (in terms of text), the reason I've done this is to describe the reaction of someone being thrust into a world where everything is different, but still somewhat the same.

The quote: "The most precious somebody can give you is their time", is something a teacher I had a few years ago told me. Like said in the story: it is quite true. Because nothing is more valuable than time. With time you can forge relationships, you can build empires, you can do so much if you spend your time on it. Time is the most precious resource we have, as the time we've spent will never come back. The expression "Time is money" is false, in my opinion. Time is much, much more than that. I greatly respect this man and he's a dear friend to me and everyone he taught that one year.

Lastly I would like to state that updates will be very irregular. I will operate on the M. O. "When it's done". I won't release a chapter before I deem it ready to be released. With university, clubs, training schedule, Magic: The Gathering, managing the student's society's economy and other things, I don't really have to much time to write. I write when I can, which really isn't to often. I'll do my best, but I cannot guarantee anything.

**Translation notes**

Hanyou – half-demon

Genin – lit. low ninja

Yomi – lit. underworld, basically hell

Genjutsu – lit. Illusionary Techniques, illusions made by disrupting the flow of Chakra to the victim's brain, causing disruptions to their senses. Higher level illusions can kill their targets.

Sunagakure – Hidden Sand, one of the five great ninja villages.

Jounin – lit. elite ninja

**FROTC**

**Chaos Rising** by **PyroC0ntrol**

This is a Naruto-Warcraft crossover. Starts out in Warcraft 3: Reign of Chaos timeline. Naruto gets transported to Kalimdor and meets Jaina Proudmore and the human survivors. It is a little AU compared to the storyline of Warcraft, for example: Sylvanas went with Jaina to Kalimdor. So follow Naruto as he opposes the Scourge forces, gets "greeted" by the night elves (often with a hail of arrows) and generally causes mayhem on Azeroth. This is a story worth reading!

PS: I even have a few characters in that story, look for them: Pheles, Hecate and Er'ryl (co-made with the author).


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